It was the telltale squeak of the big brown truck’s brakes that first alerted me of its arrival for the daily pickup. I had made a mistake—a big mistake! I bolted toward the backdoor of the building at breakneck speed but I was too late. The truck was pulling away. Leaping toward the vehicle’s rear doors, I landed squarely on its back platform. Straining, I grabbed onto the chrome handles with both hands—locked. I pounded on the big metal doors and yelled for the driver to stop but he could not hear me over the roar of his own motor and the noise of the traffic. We were picking up speed now. I hung on for dear life but after 36 hours on the road, I finally fell asleep around Albuquerque and eventually rolled off the back somewhere near Lubbock.

It’s funny how a desperate situation can clear your vision and refocus your life in an instant. Lost in the middle of nowhere with no visible means of transportation, I came to my senses and realized, now more than ever before, what the really important things in life are all about…I needed that guitar! Well, who wouldn’t?

I mean, The Classic onboard that truck is outfitted with Anderson’s exclusive Stainless Steel Frets. Until now this is about all the information that has been forthcoming from the company concerning this coveted innovation but they are more than mere frets—much more.

Made to Tom’s precise specifications, these amazing frets are exclusive on all Anderson guitars—and exactly match the profile of the three sizes of wonderful playing, nickel frets employed since early ’93. Seated into the neck with a traditional-style tang, these babies may actually transmit more unimpeded string vibration directly into the wood than anything that has come before. Many players have noted a sweeter, rounder top end tone with perhaps a touch more low-mid girth. But long before you are cognizant of the benefits derived from this subtle sonic augmentation, you will be enraptured by their buttery-smooth playing feel from the moment you grab that first effortless bend. It is at this point that a delicate bloom of sustain, not normally experienced during the apex of a bend, makes its contribution. Vibrato technique also becomes a thing of new-found grace, performed with a feeling of refined control. Slippin’ and slidin’ around a fingerboard has never been so satisfying or executed with such comfort and ease.

Now if this wasn’t enough motivation to persuade me to walk the rest of the way to Dallas in the dark, how about this Classic’s brand-new, Small 50’s V neck with a 1 11/16th inch nut width? True, we have done a Small V backshape for years, but only with a traditional 1 5/8th inch nut width. This 1 11/16th option provides just a bit more room for alternate “A” chords and other such melodic endeavors. And oh my gosh, the way its 1 & 11 “V” perfectly fits my hand…I climbed to my feet, brushed myself off and started jogging east.

By the time I got to Minerals Wells, I was getting pretty darn tired. I could not take one more step…until I remembered that this was the first Classic, ever in the history of the world, to be arrayed in Sparkle Orange—a color with roots firmly planted in Metallic Orange but emoting with even more vivacity—certainly an attire befitting someone who seeks to command the stage.

I was fired up again. As I broke into an all-out run and car pulled up and the passenger-side door swung open. The driver had a very friendly and familiar face. Where had I seen him before? Oh yea, it was Tom! He motioned me in and explained that Anderson Guitarworks can build another wonderful guitar just like this very-first Sparkle Orange and there is really no need for me to keep chasing all over the country on the back of UPS trucks. What incredible wisdom. It is no wonder why it is his name that appears on the headstock of these magnificent guitars.